The smartphone -- which is powered by
Android 2.1 -- hit all the right hardware notes thanks to a 1GHz
Snapdragon processor, 3.7" (480x800) AMOLED display,
multi-touch,
and a generous 1400 mAh battery. What could possibly go wrong with
Google's full backing, a sleek exterior design, and geek-friendly
hardware specs?

For comparison, another Android device
which has made headlines in the past few months is doing quite well
in the marketplace. Flurry estimates that Motorola sold 1.05 million
Droid smartphones during the first 74 days of availability.

The reasons for the Nexus One's failure
are plentiful. The device is barely known about outside of the tech
circle, the phone has to be purchased directly
from Google, and T-Mobile doesn't quite have the same clout as
AT&T or Verizon. The Motorola Droid is backed by the United
States' largest wireless carrier, Verizon. Apple's iPhone, on the
other hand, is the crowning jewel of second place network AT&T.

“Despite the fact that the Google
Nexus One is the most advanced Android handset to date, and enjoyed
substantial buzz leading up to its release, the launch has been
overshadowed by lower than expected sales,” stated Flurry on the
company blog. “In our previous reports we offered several possible
reasons including unconventional choices in marketing, pricing and
distribution.”

The Nexus One is supposed to launch on
Verizon's network later this spring, so hopefully Google will see an
uptick in sales at that time.

Yep! I had an Env2 before making the smartphone plunge to the Motorola Droid as well, and I agree that while the keyboard takes a couple days to adapt to, it's absolutely brilliant to type on after adaptation.